Glimpses
by Lindira
Summary: Drabbles from Tumblr featuring Dorian Pavus/Aeric Lavellan, Solas/Paikea Lavellan, and Cullen Rutherford/Megra Trevelyan. (All content should be considered AU unless otherwise stated.)
1. Just a Scratch

A/N: These are an assortment of unrelated drabbles originally posted on Tumblr. This first one was inspired by this line from an ask: "now I'm imagining Aeric falling ill with the blight sickness and Dorian reacting to it". Dorian/Aeric. AU.

* * *

"Just a Scratch"

ooo

"It's only a scratch, _ma'nehn_ ," Aeric told Dorian as the mage frowned at the wound on his shoulder. Yet even as the words left his mouth, Aeric could tell something was wrong. Black tendrils coiled out from the cut left by the darkspawn's blade, the blood that bubbled out of it thick and black like oil. Already Aeric felt feverish, the palms of his hands growing clammy and pale.

" _Kaffas_ … No, no…" Dorian's hands shook as they came alight with magic, the glow alternating between bright orange and darkest green. "I've… I've seen this before. In Felix. It's _not_ just a scratch, _amatus_."

Aeric swallowed. The black tendrils were longer now. "I know."

"You idiot! Why weren't you more careful?" Dorian's voice shook as much as his hands did.

"I'm sorry, Dorian."

"Sorry? In a few hours, you could be dead!" Dorian growled. He glanced around frantically, his eyes darting from the darkspawn bodies at their feet to the coastline and back again. Rain drizzled over them in a fine mist. "There might still be Grey Wardens nearby," he murmured. "I've heard they know how to treat Blight sickness."

"The ones in the area belonged to Clarel," Aeric murmured. He was beginning to feel lightheaded, and would need to sit down soon. Creators, it was spreading fast. "They've all moved on to the Anderfels now. I… I don't think there's enough time."

Dorian glared at him, his teeth clenched. "No! I will _give_ you time. Alexius and I did it before for Felix. I can do it again for you." He pushed Aeric to sit down on a rock nearby. Dorian crouched down beside him, his hands still glowing in alternating colors.

" _Ma'nehn_ …"

"Shut up and let me concentrate." Dorian wiped wetness from his eyes as he settled down to work. Aeric was almost certain it wasn't from the rain. "I will give you more time," Dorian whispered brokenly. "Please, Maker, please let there be more time…"


	2. Little Bun

A/N: Dorian/Aeric, with past Solas/Paikea. For the following ask: how would Aeric react if he found out Pai was pregnant? (In the AU where they both live)

* * *

"Little Bun"

ooo

When Pai told him the news, they were sitting together on a bench in the garden. Aeric's eyes widened as he glanced from his sister's amused face to her stomach. "Are you sure?" he asked, frowning. "You don't look any different."

"I'm not showing yet, dummy," Pai said with a laugh. "But that's what the healers say. And it explains why I'm always starving in the middle of the night lately."

"I thought the larder looked emptier in the mornings," Aeric said, feeling a smile in his chest even if it didn't make it to his face. He put an arm around his sister's shoulders and squeezed. "Is it all right if I'm happy for you?" he asked softly. "What with Solas…"

Nodding, Pai gave him a sad smile. "It's fine. Somehow, I feel as if he'll find out on his own, wherever he is. If he comes back, then he and I have… a lot to discuss."

"He'll be discussing those things with a black eye," Aeric muttered. Friend or no, Solas hurt his little sister. Twice. Aeric had refrained from punching Solas in the face, on that day when the older elf broke up with Paikea for no apparent reason. He was feeling less forgiving after Solas disappeared without even saying goodbye.

"A black eye, huh?" Pai said with a chuckle. "I might be all right with that." But the smile fell from her lips quickly. "But I do know he might not come back. If he doesn't…" She shrugged. "I know the little one and I will be well cared for. I have you and the Inquisition. What else do I need?"

"That's right," Aeric agreed. He could tell Pai was sadder about Solas than she was letting on. But Pai sharing the news of her first child should be a joyous occasion, and Aeric was determined to make it such. "You know Dorian and I will be with you every step of the way, right? This new _da'len_ will have the best uncles a child could want." At the mention of Dorian, Aeric smiled, imagining the mage holding a small baby in his arms, his face filled with wonder and, quite likely, no small amount of panic.

As if sensing his thoughts, Pai laughed. "You want to go tell him, don't you?"

Aeric nodded.

She sighed dramatically, though the smile didn't fall from her face. "Elgar'nan, the whole castle will know within minutes. Go on, then."

Excitement and anticipation filled him as he gave her another hug. "I'm really happy for you, Pai," he told her earnestly. "Everything will be fine. I'll make sure of it." Planting a kiss on her forehead, Aeric stood, grinning. "I'll be right back with Dorian."

He turned and ran across the garden, an odd giddiness coming over him. " _Ma'nehn_!" he yelled, still outside.

Aeric heard Pai's shout from behind him, tinged with laughter. "He can't even hear you from out here, you big doofus!"

When he reached the tower, he took the steps two at a time, pushing aside the pang of resentment he felt as his gaze crossed over Solas' paintings. Aeric found Dorian in his usual chair, reading a book on thaumaturgy. The mage barely had time to set aside his book before Aeric practically pounced on him with joy.

" _Ma'nehn_! You'll never believe it! We're going to be uncles!"


	3. A Reasonable Fear

A/N: Cullen/Megra. For the following prompt: The Venatori plan an assassination attempt on the Inquisitor. How does their LI react?

* * *

"A Reasonable Fear"

ooo

Cullen's hand tightens over the hilt of his sword as he listens to Leliana tell them the news over the war table. "The Venatori have dispatched an assassin," she says with her usual calm tone, though Cullen can hear a hint of contempt at the edges. "I have already taken the liberty of sending a few trusted agents to the kitchens to ensure the Inquisitor's meals are not tampered with."

"My meals?" Megra gives a fluttering laugh. Despite the smile on her face, Cullen can see that she's grown pale. She wrings her hands behind her back. "Isn't that a little extreme?"

"You can never be too sure with assassins," Josephine pipes up. She pauses, tapping her lips with her quill. "Perhaps we should arrange for a taster…"

Meg's eyes grow large and she shakes her head vehemently. "No, no, no. No tasters. I'm not going to ask someone to eat my food so they die instead of me! Don't be ridiculous. I'll just… take careful bites." She laughs again. "Just don't hire anyone new in the kitchens for a while. I trust Leliana's agents."

Cullen grits his teeth. He can't help but imagine finding Megra dead in her quarters, stabbed to death by an assassin's dagger. Having choked on her own food from poison. Ambushed on the ramparts at nightfall. The images make him feel as if a stone has lodged itself in the pit of his stomach, and he cannot shake them from his mind. "Be that as it may," he growls, "I will also set guards at your door at all times, and an escort for when one of us cannot be with you. Additional guards will be assigned to all other areas of Skyhold as well." His eyes meet Meg's with an intense gaze, and her hands stop their wringing. "No harm will come to you. Not while I breathe."

"Cullen…"

"You will be _safe_ , Inquisitor," he vows.

Megra smiles, some of the color returning to her cheeks. "Well, then," she says, her eyes twinkling. "I put myself in your capable hands, Commander."

Cullen nods, his lips curling at the ends, but he still cannot dislodge the stone in his belly.

After a moment, Josephine clears her throat. "I believe we have covered all the pressing matters of the day. We should implement the new safety measures immediately. For now, let us adjourn and meet again for an update in the morning."

Leliana and Josephine leave, hints of knowing smiles on their faces as they leave Cullen and Megra in the War Room. Before Meg can turn to leave, Cullen steps around the table to catch her hand. "Meg. Are you all right?"

She gives a chuckle, a tremulous little sound. "A bit nervous. Maker damn my overactive imagination! I'll be seeing assassins in every shadow until this whole business is resolved."

Cullen brushes her red hair through his gloved fingertips, tucking a strand gently behind her ear. "I know you're scared, but we will take every precaution. You need not worry about a thing."

"I know," she says with a smile, slipping her arms around his neck. "I'll probably feel most safe while I'm asleep, actually. No one would dare try anything with you by my side."

"That's right." Cullen kisses her, more fiercely than he intended. As his eyes close, those same images bombard him, filling him with dread. _Maker, please, I cannot fail. Not in this. Never in this._ He opens his eyes again as their lips part, and he leans his forehead against hers. "I won't let anything happen to you, my love. I swear it."


	4. Interruptus

A/N: From the 'Paikea has a child' AU, henceforth the 'Nuvena AU'. Nuvena is the name of Paikea and Solas' daughter. Fill for the following prompt from Tumblr: _Extension of the "Cole cries when Nuvena cries and Pai sends Cole to Aeric": Aeric and Dorian in the middle of a really romantic/sexual moment and Cole poofing in and scaring the shit out of them._

* * *

"Interruptus"

ooo

Cole appears in a puff of smoke, landing beside the bed. Aeric gasps wordlessly while Dorian shouts. " _Fasta vass_!"

His eyes streaming with tears, Cole cocks his head and stares at them curiously. "Oh!" he says. "So that's what the diagram meant."

Dorian tries to say something, but all that comes out is uncontrollable laughter. Aeric sighs beneath him, but smiles. "Did Pai send you?"

Cole nods, sniffling. "Nuvena skinned her knee."

"Of course she did," Aeric says. He leans back against the pillows, watching Dorian double over in unchecked mirth. "Well, you're not helping," Aeric tells him with a chuckle.

"I'm sure…" Dorian gasps between his laughter, "I'm sure Nuvena's fine…"

Cole wipes at his eyes. "What should I do?"

"Go back to Pai, Cole," Aeric says patiently.

Dorian grins. "And do tell her exactly what she had you interrupting. Spare no detail. That'll teach her not to send you without instructions to knock first." He pauses. "Only, don't tell Pai in front of Nuvena, mind you. No sense traumatizing the poor girl."

Still sniffling, Cole nods and disappears in another puff of smoke.

Aeric laughs and pulls Dorian down to kiss him soundly on the lips. "That was mean."

"I think you mean 'inspired', _amatus_ ," Dorian replies with a smirk. "Pity they haven't invented mental soap."


	5. A Day for Uncles

A/N: From the Nuvena AU. Gregory is the son of Cullen and Megra Trevelyan, and Nuvena's best friend. Fill for the following prompt from Tumblr: _Nuvena making presents for Dorian and Aeric for being the best stand-in fathers ever for Father's Day._

* * *

"A Day for Uncles"

ooo

"Uncle Dorian. Look. Look. Are you looking?"

Dorian looked up from his book to find tiny Nuvena staring up at him with her enormous green eyes and holding something out to him in her hand. From the chair beside him, Aeric also put down his book, his eyes twinkling with a smile.

"Hello there, my darling," Dorian greeted. "Is it time for dinner already?"

Nuvena shook her head and waved her hand. "No, it's not time for dinner yet. Look!"

Dorian held out his hand and she placed a small, oddly-shaped package wrapped in brightly colored paper, pulled together at the top and tied shut with a ribbon. "What's this?" Dorian asked her.

"A present!" she replied with a grin. "There's one for Uncle Aeric too!"

Aeric took the little misshapen bundle from her. " _Ma serannas_ , Nuvena. May we open them?"

Still grinning, she nodded excitedly, bouncing on her tiptoes as she waited.

Dorian carefully untied the ribbon and pulled back the paper. Beside him, Aeric did the same. In Dorian's, he found a small, clay figurine painted in purple and gold. The figurine was obviously meant to be a butterfly, with its wide wings, lopsided as they were. For something made by a four year-old, however, it was rather well-made, painted with obvious care. Dorian smiled widely at it and glanced over at Aeric's, which was the face of a bear, complete with a permanent frown and angled eyebrows. "It's the spitting image of you, _amatus_."

"Yours too," Aeric said with a chuckle and pointed at the butterfly. On its tiny face, Nuvena had painted a curled mustache. Delighted, Dorian laughed.

"They're gorgeous, Nuvi," he told her, bending to kiss the top of her head.

"Mamae helped," she said shyly as Aeric gave her a hug and kissed her head too.

Aeric smiled. "Thank her for us too, all right?" He paused. "But what's the occasion? Did Uncle Dorian and I do something special?"

Nuvena nodded. "Gregory was drawing a picture of his papa. He said they have a special day for fathers where his papa comes from."

"Yes, that's right," Dorian replied. "Cullen is from Ferelden."

"I asked Mamae what a father is," Nuvena pressed on. "She said it's a boy grown-up who takes good care of you and loves you very much. That's what it means, right?"

Dorian tried not to think about what the word 'father' meant to him. Instead, he gave a little smile. "That's right."

"And that's you and Uncle Aeric!" Nuvena looked from Dorian to Aeric and back again, always shifting around on her toes. "Right? I have two fathers because you both love me so much, right?"

A bursting fullness took root in Dorian's chest. Tossing aside his book, he gathered her up into his arms and hugged her tight. "Oh sweet Maker," he breathed. "You are simply too adorable to bear…"

Always constantly moving, Nuvena wriggled in his grasp even as she hugged him back. It was like holding a very large worm with pointed ears and pigtails. When she finally wriggled out of his arms, Aeric stood and caught her in his arms with a laugh, bouncing her as he carried her.

"Do the presents make you happy?" Nuvena asked excitedly. "You and Uncle Dorian are both smiling, so I think you must be happy."

"Very," Aeric assured her. "Let's go to our quarters to put them away, then we'll find your mother, all right?" With their niece in his arms, Aeric started towards the stairs. "Coming, _ma'nehn_?"

Dorian realized he had been grinning and staring at his butterfly. He blinked and stood up. "Yes, right behind you."

The little grumpy bear face and the mustached butterfly were placed on their dresser. Dorian and Aeric wanted them where they could see them always, and they remained there for several years to come.


	6. Sweet Like Honey

A/N: AU, Dorian/Aeric. For the following ask on Tumblr: "If Dorian ever had to mercy kill Aeric, how would he do it?" Warning for major character death.

* * *

"Sweet Like Honey"

ooo

" _Amatus_ ," Dorian whispered gently. "Let me help you sit up."

Aeric lay on the bed, still and covered with sweat. Green tendrils of magic swirled over his torso and arms, curling up to his weary face. Each vein of Fade magic glowed, visible even beneath his loose clothing. At the sound of Dorian's voice, Aeric nodded, but even that slight movement set the Anchor's tendrils ablaze, making Aeric groan from the pain. Dorian knew that Aeric kept from screaming only for his sake.

Biting his lip, Dorian lifted Aeric with the utmost care, sliding him back against a stack of pillows he had placed along the headboard. The veins of magic flickered again as Aeric moved, and he grunted through clenched teeth.

Aeric had been like this for weeks, and it was clear now there was no way to reverse it. The magic was too strong. And this was no way to live.

With a shaking hand, Dorian reached for a cup at the side of the bed. He was trembling so badly, he was afraid he might spill it. "I have… I have something for you. It… it has honey in it. Your favorite, right?" He took a few shuddering breaths before continuing. "It will take the pain away."

Aeric's eyes as they met Dorian's were no longer the lapis blue Dorian had so loved. The irises were now also slashed with green, glowing in a way that even an elf's eyes were not meant to. In one last impulsive movement, Dorian dipped down, kissing Aeric with a desperate swell of emotion. He tasted almost like lyrium, tingling and sweet, an electric hum of power across Dorian's lips. The kiss ended as Aeric's body flickered again, and he let out a helpless cry.

Dorian cleared his throat around the hard lump that had taken residence there. "Come, drink this, so you can rest at last." He held the cup to Aeric's lips.

Aeric took one slow sip, then another, until he had drained the cup of its contents. Setting the cup aside, Dorian curled himself around Aeric as best he could without jostling him.

"I… love you, _ma'nehn,"_ Aeric murmured. "I'm sorry."

Dorian forced a smile, though he knew Aeric could not see it. "No need to apologize, you idiot," he said hoarsely. "It's not your fault. I only want you to feel better."

"I do."

"Then I'm glad," Dorian told him, kissing his temple. "And I love you too, _amatus_. Always."

Aeric's hand reached for his, and Dorian took it. With the movement, the tendrils lit up once more, but this time, Aeric didn't make a sound. Instead, his breathing slowed, his eyes closing, as if he was falling asleep.

Dorian listened to each breath, counting them. Until they were so few and far between that each time, he thought it was the last. And then there was one breath, and Dorian waited and kept waiting, until he had lost track of time and his shoulders shuddered and his chest heaved and the well of tears that he held within him poured out, unbidden.

He wanted to say something, one final goodbye. But words were useless. So he held his beloved in the moonlit room, taking some solace in the fact that the tendrils no longer glowed, finally silent.


	7. The Prodigal

A/N: Nuvena AU (sort of an AU within this AU...), Solas/Paikea, Dorian/Aeric. Fill for the following prompt from Tumblr: "AU where Aeric does get to punch Solas for leaving Paikea"

* * *

"The Prodigal"

ooo

Pai knew Solas was coming back, even before scouts mentioned a bald elf approaching Skyhold. Her dreams of him had become more vivid, images remaining in her mind's eye long after waking. She could hear his voice sighing with longing in the morning breeze, the scent of her beloved embrium blossoms lingering like an apology.

She had long since forgiven him for leaving. She wasn't sure yet if she had forgiven him for not coming back.

Paikea stood at the top of the stairs leading to the great hall, watching for his arrival. When she saw Solas step through the gates, her breath caught, and she smiled down at him. He returned the smile, and even from afar, she could tell his gaze was hopeful.

She had been so distracted with his impending arrival that she forgot to check where her brother was.

"You!"

"Oh… _fenedhis_ ," Pai said under her breath. Beside the stables across the courtyard, Aeric, Dorian, and Nuvena were playing and visiting with the horses. When he spotted Solas, however, Aeric gave her daughter to Dorian before stalking up to Solas. Paikea ran down the steps two at a time, hoping to head Aeric off.

Pai had just reached the bottom of the stairs in time to see Aeric step right up to Solas. Without a word, Aeric reached back his fist and swung it straight into the side of Solas' face, sending him sprawling. "Aeric!" she shouted, wincing.

"You fucking asshole!" Aeric bellowed. "How _dare_ you come back here? You think you can just stroll in here, disrupting the lives of my sister and niece? After leaving them without a word? Fuck you!"

"Aeric! Stop!" Pai raced over to them, grabbing Aeric's arm, though it didn't seem like he planned to throw another punch.

"It was deserved," Solas said as he got to his feet. He wiped a bit of blood from the corner of his mouth, and his cheek had turned bright red where Aeric had struck him. It was certainly going to leave a bruise.

"You're damn right, it's deserved." Aeric's face often looked angry even when he wasn't. Now, furious as he was, even Pai found him intimidating. "Whatever the reason for your leaving, Pai deserved an explanation at the very least. You fucking coward!"

Pai squeezed Aeric's arm gently. "Let me handle this," she told him. "Go see to Nuvena, please."

Aeric looked down at her, his eyes hard. He gave a single nod, and she released him. Glaring over his shoulder at Solas, he left the courtyard through the door to the kitchens.

Paikea turned toward Solas. "Are you all right?"

"Your brother is quite formidable," Solas said, a hand still at his cheek. "I have rarely seen him so angry."

"He has every right to be," Pai replied. "To tell the truth, I'm a little angry myself."

"I know. I'm sorry, _vhenan_."

Pai shook her head despite the quickening of her heartbeat at the sound of the endearment. She had missed it. "You have no right to call me that anymore, Solas."

He nodded solemnly. "Of course. 'Inquisitor', then?"

"'Paikea' will do, thank you." She sighed. "Let's go someplace else to talk, before Aeric comes back."

"Agreed," he said, and they began to walk together, side by side. He seemed to hesitate. "Nuvena… Her name is lovely."

Pai gave a little smile. "She is exactly that. My wish. My hope for the future."

Solas nodded again. "If it is not too presumptuous of me, I would like her to be that for me as well."

Pai allowed herself a tentative sliver of gladness at his return. She had no idea how to proceed, and what role Solas would occupy in her life, or in Nuvena's. He wasn't a father to her. Not yet. Nuvena was already with her fathers now, two uncles who loved her with adoration and constancy.

"That depends on you," she said. "Do you intend to stay?"

"I do."

"Then we'll see, won't we?"


End file.
